The 24th edition of the London Design Festival is launching this Saturday and running through 20 September. And, as always, the event launched by John Sorrell and Ben Evans will bring exhibitions, installations, talks and workshops into the heart of London to celebrate the city’s creativity. ‘London and design go hand in hand,’ says Evans. ‘It is part of our story. [The festival] is a platform for hundreds of design stories to be told.’
This year, a range of design districts, from Shoreditch to Mayfair, invite a range of fresh perspectives and newcomers to the programme. With thousands of events taking place across the city, we’ve selected our favourite five.
Afterimage, by Monologue
Held at the Monologue design showroom in Mayfair, this exhibition brings together a selection of contemporary design stars who are pushing boundaries of material investigation. A particular favourite of ours is Paraforma, whose work uses resin to experiment with light, form and transparency. ‘Paraforma works with material in an investigative way, testing what a substance can do rather than settling for how it looks,’ says Pavel Klimczak, founder of the Monologue shop in London. ‘That is close to how we approach curation at Monologue — we are not just looking for pieces that are beautiful. We want pieces that make you stop and look twice, that do something you did not expect a material to do.’
The showcase also features work by Tacchini, 6:AM, Paul Matter, Studio Douze Degrés and Henry Svendsen, each with a distinctive material language and approach to experimentation. It’s a standout exhibition for anyone interested in new and unexpected ways of working with matter.
Reviving Craft: Reflection of the Mind, by Sun Media Group
Running from 16-27 September at Somerset House, ‘Reviving Craft: Reflection of the Mind’ looks at the relationship between traditional Chinese making and contemporary design. The exhibition is an opportunity for audiences to explore craft in a new light, through a range of artists and makers finding new ways to work with established techniques.
The show will feature ceramics, textiles, sculpture and more experimental approaches. What makes it particularly interesting is the variety of ways these practices are being carried forward — sometimes through new materials and sometimes simply by looking at familiar techniques from a different angle.
The Pangolin Shield, by Studio Saar and Atelier One
The Pangolin Shield will be installed on the Strand at Aldwych by architects at Studio Saar and structural engineers Atelier One and takes its starting point from the pangolin, a mammal native to Africa and Asia and the most trafficked animal in the world. The public installation explores wider conversations around protection, migration and power.
A portion of the Strand will be transformed by the structure, which will be crafted from Indian shields — traditional bamboo police shields and woven rain shields traditionally used by farmers in northeastern India. Placed together, they begin to resemble the pangolin, rather than objects associated with authority or defence. The project explores how craft has the power to give objects new meanings. ‘You see this in Studio Saar’s work all the time,’ says Ananya Singhal, managing partner at Studio Saar, ‘often overlooked materials forming something bigger, more powerful and more potent. The Pangolin Shield is exactly that.’
The Point of Unity and Soul, by Mykola Kabluka and Expolight
At St Paul’s Cathedral, Ukrainian artist Mykola Kabluka and design studio Expolight are presenting two installations. In the first — Soul — imagery is projected onto the cathedral’s west front, influenced by the themes of daydreaming and inward creative thought. The projections are created on the spot through the movement of light and space, making each visual totally unique.
The second installation, Point of Unity, sits in the South Churchyard Gardens. During the day it acts almost like a piece of mirrored sculpture, reflecting the cathedral and sky; after dark, thousands of points of light transform into the visual of a night sky. The Ukrainian team explores how light can fight darkness through themes of war and peace, hope and loss.
Animalism Objects, by Void inc.
Part of Shoreditch Design Week, Animism Objects is a new loudspeaker label that brings traditional Japanese materials and artisanal techniques into the world of contemporary audio. For readers interested in how designers are experimenting with sound, the showcase marks a meeting point between Japanese traditions of craft and modern audio technology.
The project focuses on three craft practices from the San’in region: washi paper, aizome indigo dyeing and yakisugi. Each is incorporated into the design of the speakers, bringing centuries-old techniques into a contemporary context. Taking place at Pick Store in Shoreditch from 16–20 September, the exhibition explores how Japanese heritage and material knowledge can inform new products. Audio pieces, clothing and folk pottery sit together, creating a dialogue between tradition and the handmade and the possibilities of contemporary high-tech design.
